In the context of the present disclosure and the related art, “works of literature” will be used to refer to textual writings which are readily encoded into computer files, such as ASCII text, ANSI text, Hypertext Transfer Markup Language (HTML), eXtensible Markup Language (XML), portable document format (PDF), word processor files (e.g. *.doc, *.docx, *.odt, *.wpd, etc.), ebook files and the like. The content of these files may represent digital novels, books, textbooks, reference books, poetry, lyrics, magazines, journals, short stories, catalogs, research papers, user manuals and the like, each of which may have a structural syntax such as a table of contents, and index, one or more chapters with one or more sections and subsections. These works will be referred to collectively as “digital literature” for the purposes of the present disclosure.
Many online services which provide access to digital literature, such as online book stores, online libraries and online research centers attempt to provide suggestions for similar literary works to users when they search for or purchase a particular literature item. Such recommendations can increase sales, improve customer affinity, and lead to better research of a subject matter.